Last year, the Lions were pretty active in free agency early on, camping out at KVB's house and Burleson's house.

It would set them up nicely if they camped out at two players' houses and made a couple of good picks again this year.

When free agency hits, I would like to see them in the driveways of:

Chad Greenway - LB (MIN)He's got 126 tackles and a sack on the year. I think he could do better and be much more aggressive in Detroit. Solves a problem at the strong side, he's great against the run and still quick enough to beat runners to the edge. Plus, you'd get to screw over Minnesota.

Ike Taylor - CB (PIT)The Steelers have to sign a few key guys and they might not be able to afford Taylor, so the Lions can definitely pick him up for the right price. This would allow them to spend picks on a quality DE in the first round or even take Amakumara or Peterson and set the cornerback position for years to come, just like the defensive line is now.

Miles Austin - WR (DAL)I wouldn't be opposed to signing another nice WR, just so the need to draft one doesn't arise. It's the slot guy that the Lions have been trying to get since Johnny Morton. Dallas has a lot of money tied up in the WR positions, they probably will let him go.

Of course this would never happen, but I think those three signings would be huge and probably put the Lions in the playoffs with another good draft.

_________________"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration – that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." -Bill Hicks

That's another guy that belongs on that list for sure. The Jets have to sign Cromartie and a slew of other guys, he could easily slip through the cracks. Pay the guy what he wants and get him in a blue jersey. Him and Greenway would be sick.

_________________"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration – that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." -Bill Hicks

I think Dallas is in a retooling mode and a lot of their free agents could want a change of scenery and I think Minnesota and Denver are the same way. I wouldn't hate Mayhew if he brought in Champ Bailey for a few years, either. Rumor has it that Bailey wants out of Denver and even though he's not the Bailey of 2006, he could mentor the incoming corners from this draft. He's a vet and has great work ethics. I think the Lions could scour Denver, Minnesota and Dallas and pick up some good depth players in free agency at a discount price. Make it happen, Mayhew.

_________________"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration – that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." -Bill Hicks

December 25th, 2010, 10:30 pm

Blueskies

QB Coach

Joined: September 13th, 2007, 12:43 pmPosts: 3084

Re: Free Agent Wish List

Miles Austin signed an extension.

I don't want the Lions to bring in a Champ Bailey or any other older players. I think that if they win one of these last two games (or maybe both) they'll demonstrate enough to show that they're on the rise as a team, and won't have to over pay for has beens. They need to actually add building blocks, guys that can be here 3, 4, 5 years from now playing at a high level if the Lions are good enough as a team to enter the playoffs at that point.

They need to target one or two guys due for their second contract and pay them (probably slightly above) fair value. Guys like David Harris, Jared Gaither, Logan Mankins, and Chad Greenway. They won't be easy to sign, but they'll be the best return on the dollar. Then build through the draft.

December 26th, 2010, 12:35 am

vankman79

Div 1 - Starter

Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:24 pmPosts: 584

Re: Free Agent Wish List

i like johnathan joseph too. he is a free agent this offseason, i read an article saying there is a good chance he gets slapped with the franchise tag though. he is a real solid corner.

miles austin is signed for awhile. they got his deal done just before the season started. david harris would be a fine candidate for schwartz to go a knocking at midnight. send gunther to cromaries or josephs, send linehan to logan mankins and we could be styling if somehow they all signed.

ha ha wishfull thinking anyway.

December 26th, 2010, 12:53 am

Wayne Fontes

Color Commentator - John Madden

Joined: January 19th, 2007, 3:21 amPosts: 1920Location: A2

Re: Free Agent Wish List

Miles Austin wouldn't sign with the Lions to be the #3/slot guy. Now that he had a big year last year, he's going to want #1 money and to play that, not second fiddle like he would here.

I've been wanting to see David Harris as a Lion for a long time, but I think the Jets are too smart to let him go. Greenway I could see maybe being an option, but often times in the NFL players in their prime don't get the opportunity to explore free agency. KVB and Burleson worked out in FA this year for us, but KVB is getting up there in age, and Burleson had been inconsistent over the last few years. We shouldn't, however, expect to hit like that every year.

_________________Forward down the field!

December 26th, 2010, 11:09 am

Footsoldier32

5th Round Pick - Traded

Joined: February 28th, 2007, 12:13 pmPosts: 1016

Re: Free Agent Wish List

I like the idea of Chad Greenway and Champ Bailey.

I know Bailey hasn't much tread on the tires anymore but. . . man, he's a good corner. I'm not sure how he's been this year but dood knows how to play corner. It'd be nice to see him rejuvenate himself here. . .

_________________If you think education is tough, try being stoopid.

December 26th, 2010, 5:27 pm

Wayne Fontes

Color Commentator - John Madden

Joined: January 19th, 2007, 3:21 amPosts: 1920Location: A2

Re: Free Agent Wish List

Obviously we need to build through the draft, but we need to fill in the gaps with players like KVB and Burleson. In this case, bringing in a Champ Bailey wouldn't hurt the D. He would be our #1 corner, and if we get a CB in the draft, we won't have to expect him to be our #1. If we are able to bring back Chris Houston, plus having Alphonso Smith, plus our draft pick, we'd have a pretty good looking defensive backfield. Having Bailey mentor all these guys would be a great boon for our D. However, I think he's going to be looking to go to a contender, not a team on the rise.

Every team that has a coaching change coming up is probably going want to dump or trade a few players that do not fit with the new coaches.I wouldn't be surprised to see the Lions steal a few players from the aforementioned teams in a trade for high round draft picks.

I also don't see why the Lions can't make a big splash again in free agency. Not only are they in a better position to do it this year (not having to sign the #2 draft pick), but good teams get good free agents every year. The Patriots and Jets have recently been big players on the free agent market. The Jets went crazy in free agency two years in a row. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Lions make some blockbuster moves and get more talent in here... In fact, I expect it. That's what good teams do. There isn't a Superbowl team since the modern age of free agency that didn't have a few good free agents on it. If the Lions hope to contend and if Mayhew isn't content with simply being better than Millen, then they need to get talent in free agency. If you can get a proven player like Harris or Greenway, you do it. You don't wait to draft a Chad Greenway type of linebacker, you go out and get the real Chad Greenway. You don't wait for a player with potential like Antonio Cromartie to enter the draft, you sign Cromartie if possible. Any time you have a chance to put proven talent on your football team, you do it. It doesn't matter if it's through the draft, in free agency, via a trade or the freaking waiver wire, for chrissakes. The Lions aren't in any position yet to scoff at putting talent on this team anywhere they can get it, even if they have to pay out of their a$$es for it.

_________________"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration – that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." -Bill Hicks

The Cardinals may watch another one of their best young homegrown players walk away via free agency this offseason.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic passes along the surprising news that Arizona has shown “little interest” in re-signing receiver Steve Breaston to a new contract. The collective bargaining agreement doesn’t seem to be the issue here.

Somers says that the team either just doesn’t want to spend the money or has concerns about Breaston’s long term health. The fourth-year receiver tore his meniscus early in the season, and has played through pain much of the year. He saw his playing time limited against the Cowboys on Christmas.

Breaston put up over 1,700 yards combined between 2008-2009 as the team’s No. 3 receiver, and his 2010 production hasn’t fallen off much considering the team’s quarterback mess. He leads the team in yards-per-catch and has 692 yards. Somers believes letting Breaston walk could send a dangerous message to the rest of the team.

“No player worked harder to make himself relevant than did Breaston,” Somers wrote.Breaston is going to get paid well whenever free agency starts. It’s looking more likely he won’t get paid by the Cardinals.Permalink 0 Comments Latest Stories in: Arizona Cardinals, Home, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, Rumor Mill

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

December 29th, 2010, 10:43 am

wjb21ndtown

Re: Free Agent Wish List

Blueskies wrote:

Miles Austin signed an extension.

I don't want the Lions to bring in a Champ Bailey or any other older players. I think that if they win one of these last two games (or maybe both) they'll demonstrate enough to show that they're on the rise as a team, and won't have to over pay for has beens. They need to actually add building blocks, guys that can be here 3, 4, 5 years from now playing at a high level if the Lions are good enough as a team to enter the playoffs at that point.

They need to target one or two guys due for their second contract and pay them (probably slightly above) fair value. Guys like David Harris, Jared Gaither, Logan Mankins, and Chad Greenway. They won't be easy to sign, but they'll be the best return on the dollar. Then build through the draft.

I wouldn't mind bringing in one older player at each position. I think if it plays out right they could be the KVB of that position. I'll say now that I wouldn't mind if we signed T.O. I think he could teach CJ a LOT, and I don't think he would be a problem child. Champ Bailey is someone that I wouldn't mind as well, but both of these players come with the "right price" stigma.

Dallas isn't going to let Miles Austin go, but I would love to land him or anyone else on that list.

December 29th, 2010, 3:20 pm

DJ-B

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: April 5th, 2007, 5:51 pmPosts: 2563

Re: Free Agent Wish List

You couldnt pay me to let TO or OchoStinko on this team.

Look what happened with the Bengals the minute those 2 wastes of flesh were out of a game. Yes I know it was partially an anomoly, but those guys dont add anything to a team like ours.

Baily & Breaston are interesting though.

December 29th, 2010, 4:58 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Free Agent Wish List

DJ-B wrote:

You couldnt pay me to let TO or OchoStinko on this team.

Look what happened with the Bengals the minute those 2 wastes of flesh were out of a game. Yes I know it was partially an anomoly, but those guys dont add anything to a team like ours.

Baily & Breaston are interesting though.

I really like Stevie Breaston, but he does drop a TON of balls and he always has (even at UofM that's primarily what kept him from being great).

Re: T.O., I understand that people have reservations about the guy, but look at what he's done for the last two years - stayed quiet at Buffalo, kept his nose down and produced where he could on a HORRIBLE team, and stayed quiet at Cinci, kept his nose down and produced VERY WELL on a pretty good team that has some problems. Cinci's problems have more to do with their OL than anything else. I see Palmer on his back a LOT in the games that they lose. That said, IMO Ocho hasn't responded well to T.O. being there, even though they allegedly love each other, but T.O. hasn't acted up or done anything crazy that would bring caution to signing him. On top of that, given is production he is REALLY REALLY CHEAP!

I think T.O. could and would step into our offense, be the most solid #2 that we've ever had (and now we KNOW he's willing to take on that role), and open things up for Nate in the slot. I would LOVE to land T.O. for a year or two. I think he could do wonders for CJ's work ethic too.

December 29th, 2010, 5:12 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Re: Free Agent Wish List

I wanted the Lions to draft Breaston. I thought he would produce and he has. He is not perfect, but he certainly would be a good add.